Flow controlling means for dishwashers



Dec. 25, 1934. I VKRENDLE ETAL 1,985,580

FLOW CONTROLLING MEANS FOR DISHWASHERS Filed Jan. 12, 1932 By r 1 flfiys dishes or the like contained in, a rotatable basket,

Patented Dec. 25, 1934 Wells, Englandyasfsignors to The Kent Dish- Washing Machine Company-Limited, Tunbridge,

" FLOW Wells, England ApplicationJanuary {12, 1932; Serial- No. 586,17 5

. ;In-Great- Britain January;2 8,.19 31 This invention relates to dish and the like washing machines of the kind wherein hot-water is withdrawn from a tank or reservoir by means of a pump and sprayed through nozzles on to the the action ofthe jets' of liquid on the dishes or the like causing the rotation of the basket and the waste water being returned-to the tank or reservoir; The invention specifically .relates 'to machines of, this kindwherein two: or more tanks or reservoirs are provided andfwherein'a valve member. or members is or are provided for placing "thentanks or. reservoirs "in communication with a common circulating pump or with a common drainage outlet, as desired. :x

:Accordingltothe present invention the outlets from the tanks or'reservoirs are'connected" to a ported member with which a spring pressedmain :valve'membe'r is adapted toco-operatesin such manner thatathe joutlets from the tanksyor res,- ervoirs maybe placed alternatively inv communi-r 'CfltlOIIIWith the circulating pump,- and 1 the main valve memberis formed or provided withadraim agejpassage or outlet controlledby an :auxiliary valve member mounted in or upon the main valve ;member, the main and auxiliary valve members being operatedby a single and common; lever 0r handle. Conveniently, the main valve member is in the form- 0fa plug oock having a central h e .freeycemmunication with the circulating pump and having suitably arrangedports in the wall of such chamber for co-operating with ports in the valve body in communication with the respective outlets from the tanks or reservoirs, so that by angular movement of the main valve member to predetermined positions, one tank or the other may be placed in communication with the pump which circulates the liquid in the machine. In such a construction the drainage outlet conveniently is constituted by an axial passage in the conical plug, and the auxiliary valve member is in the form of a'plug cock arranged with its axis at right angles to the axis of the main cock. The handle or lever is fitted te extend outwardly from the auxiliary plug cock, and it will be understood that'by moving the handle or lever angularly about the axis of the main cook, the position of the latter may be adjusted as required, while by rotating. the handlev or lever about the'axis of the auxiliary cook the latter may be opened or shut as required.

The invention is hereinafter described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which:--

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a washing ma chine in accordance with thepresentjinvention; Figurexzis a sectional elevation .of the'lower part of Figure l drawn to an enlargedscale, the lower part 'ofathe figure being a' section on the 1.5 lineII-II ofFi'gure 3;. 'w J Figure 3 is'a sectional .plan'view corresponding toFigure 2. I. j In carryingthe invention into-effect according to 'one constructionian'd in the application of the :invention',*for example to a dish washing machine of the kind referred to wherein't'wo supply-tanks :1, 2 are mounted beneath the upper receptacleB :in. which the rotatable basket is-mounted, the :upper receptacle "3Jmay be 'suppo'rted'upon legs 3a which are connected together at a "suitable height by means of a transverse member or spider 'fittingi3b .upon which the :upper receptacle is mounted and ator adjacent theirlloweriends by a spider fitting 3ciuponwhich'the tanks 1,*2"are fixedly mounted; The pair of tanks 1, 2 may; be constituted'by a single reservoir divided .intotwo Tc'ompartments'by mea'ns'of a transverse wall. The. tanks or reservoirs 1 2 are formed with outlets 1a., 2d at the bottom preferably in op- 1 positel'y .disposed positions 'and'a valve. body'l'd in theformfof aicasting is. fixed to the" underside of; theirtanks or reservoirs, such feasting having a central 'verticalbore 4a of conical formation andzop'po'sitely. disposedpassages 4b; 46 arranged zto coin municatezwith f the outlets r from. the;.tank s or reservoirs and opening into such bore 4a. Above the valve body 4 a suitable centrallydis posed chamber 401 is provided for the reception of the impeller 5 of a pump which is preferably driven from an electric motor 6 arranged coaxially with theimpeller 5 and at a position above the top of the pair of tanks or reservoirs 1, 2 the driving shaft 5a being enclosed by means of a suitable tube 4e; At its lower end the valve body 4 may be fianged for bolting upon the spider 3c. A main valve member 7 in the form of a plug cock adapted to fit into the conical bore 4a in the valve body 4 is formed with a central chamber 7a extending from the top of the valve member 45 to the pump. The outlet 5?) from the pump may be at or around the periphery of the impeller 5 in the case of a centrifugal pump or at 55 a position above the pump if the impeller is of the propeller type, such outlet 5b from the pump communicating as by means of a laterally extending pipe or passage 8 with a vertical pipe 80. leading'ftoth'enolizle or nozzles by which the liquid is sprayed on to the dishes or the like in the rotatable basket in the receptacle 3. The main valve member '7 is pressed upwardly against the conical seating in the valve body r4 -by-rneans spring, arranged between the basepf the cock '7 and an inwardly flanged or otherwise suitamy formed member 3d fixed to the bottom of valve body 4.

It will be understood t at when the mate-'- is in use the hot liquid in one tank may be used for the actual washing, while that m ne other tank may be used for rinsing, the-liquids preferably being heated up by means of electric heatersmaybe formed with an extension 76 of reduced diameter adapted to fit more or less closelyl into the valve 1 retaining member 3d which may be fitted withla suitable drain-pipe. The drainage or outlet passage id in the valve member '7 is normally closed by means of a plug cook 10 arranged withits axis at right angles to the axis of the main valve member '7, such auxiliary cock 10 having a diametrically disposed passage 10a which in one position of the auxiliary cook 10 registers with the drainage or outlet passage 7d.

Forthe operation of the-cocks 7 and 10, a rod '11 is fitted to the auxiliarycock 10 to. extend coaxiallytherewith and outwardly through a :suitable slot 4f in the wall of the body 4. Thus,

by moving the rod .11 angularly about the axis of the main valve member '7, the latter may be turned into one orv other of the two positions as illustrated in Figure 3 for the alternative circulation 'ofthe liquid from the tanks or reservoirs 1, 2 while by turning the rod 11 about its axis as by means of a handle 11a at its outer extremity, the

auxiliary cock 10 may be opened or closed as desired. If immersion heaters are. used it is important that they should be switched off before the the tank or reservoir is emptied, and it is thus an advantage to have separate control of the drainage.

The discharge pipe 12 from the upper receptacle 3' containing the basket is centrally arranged above the two compartments, and the discharge from the upper receptacle 3 is directed by suitable means into the compartment 1 or 2 from which liquid is being withdrawn by the pump. of a suitable spring 9 which may be aEheIi' al It ils lto be noted that the bore of the main valve extends completely therethrough so that discharge may be had at either top or bottom of the valve; Itis also to be particularly noted that thejauxiliary valve is enclosed in the tapered body of the'ma'in valve and that a single handle secured to the auxiliary valve and extending through a slot formed in the body of the main 'valve is-the instrument for operating both valves sothat a very strong and compact device is producedf ".What Weclaim is:-

Ina device of the class described, a housing having a' valve chamber thereinprovided with an outlet in its top and a drain opening in its bottom, the housing having inlet ports at opposite sides'of the valve chamber and a slotlin one side below the inlet ports, a main plug valve in the valve chamber having an axial bore extending completely therethrough, the lower. part of the bore constituting a drain opening a pair of ports in'the valve communicating with said here and disposed out of alinement with each other and adapted, when the valve is turned on its axis, to dispose one of the valve ports in registration with one of the housing" ports and disconnect the other of said valve ports from the other of said housing ports, an auxiliary plug valve'in the main valve below theinlet ports in 'the'housing having its axis at a' right angle to the axis of the main valve and having a diametrical port adapted to communicate with saidb'ore, and a handle lever fixed to the auxiliary valve and projecting through the slot 'in' the side of the housing, said lever being rotatable "o'n'its own axis to turn the auxiliary valve "on its axis to close the drain opening and 's'v'vin'gable man are about the axis of the main "valve asa center to turn the main valve on its axis.

V'ALDEMARRENDLE. WILFRED CHARLES CROSS. 

